ISSUES
: Abortion
Chapter 1: Abortion facts
8
Growing pro-life movement presents
a challenge to defenders of abortion
rights
An article from
The Conversation
.
By Graeme Hayes, Reader in Political Sociology, Aston University,
Pam Lowe Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Aston University and
Sarah-Jane Page Lecturer in Sociology, Aston University
B
irmingham hosted the fourth annual March for
Life, bringing together ‘pro-life’ campaigners
from across the UK (and further afield, including
Ireland, France, Spain, Mexico, Slovakia).
The event was much bigger than last year. We counted
around 1,000 participants in all, double the number
attending in 2015. And this was a much slicker operation
than what has been seen before.
Crash barriers and professional security cordoned off
space in Victoria Square. Entrance was controlled by
the organisers and the speakers and musicians had a
professional PA, stage and big screen. There were even
merchandise stalls and face-painting.
The event marketing seemed designed to appeal
especially to a youth demographic. We saw the slogan
“Life from Conception, No Exception!” printed on
wristbands, hoodies and t-shirts. One participant told
us: “It’s got a kind of a Glastonbury feel about it!”
Last year, it took just a line of police to separate
marchers from abortion rights campaigners, who were
able to disrupt the closing rally, drowning out the PA
system.
Changing approach
On this evidence, the anti-abortion movement, if still
very small, is growing in mainland Britain.
But that growth could cause dilemmas. The marchers
seemed united against abortion but less in agreement
about what should actually be done about it.
Some argued: “We’re not here to change the law, we’re
here to save lives,” while others spoke of closing down
“the abortion industry”.
For some, pro-life activism is a personal commitment
to make a difference as an individual, offering what
they see as support to other women, through and after
pregnancy. Others told us that getting an abortion in
Britain is currently “too easy”. The wish to provide
support is very different from making it harder for
women to get an abortion by changing the law.
Every participant we spoke to defined abortion as the
murder of human life (several told us their belief that life
begins at conception was supported by science). But
again, they struggled to reach a definitive conclusion
on how this should be handled.
One student activist suggested abortion should
be considered infanticide before backtracking and
agreeing that women should not be prosecuted for
having an abortion. This may be only a personal view
but it points to an absent common position on how
women who have abortions should be treated.
How to represent abortion at events of this kind is
another crucial issue. Last year, organisers stressed
that participants should not display graphic images of
aborted foetuses. This year, the official position was
left unspoken, publicly, at least.
The question is important if the march is to bring
together activists from often diverse groups. Abort67
– which has courted controversy for its use of
“We’re not here to change the law,
we’re here to save lives”
